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Forgotten towns of Fergus. By Johnny Ritch
FROM THE DEMOCRAT NEWS (July 4, 1957 newspaper reprinted)
Dec. 17, 1912
The history of a country, excepting it be duly recorded, soon passes from the
memory of these who lived there even during its most eventful days. Nearly
every section of our good state has a treasure of historical interest if it had
been preserved by record, but with the exception of a few isolated instances, a
fast part of this romantic story has been permitted to pass into the uncertain
statements that come with repeated hearsay. Fergus County has its full share
of those, now unremembered sports that in the year's agone teemed with life
and interest, and for the time were the commercial centers of this great region.
Few there are living today who remember, or even have heard, that in the late
1860's a government fort existed at the confluence of the Musselshell and Mis­souri
rivers, and that this was the trading place, and the point of refuge when
pressed by their savage foes, for the intrepid spirits who found a living in that
wild region. Numerous sanguinary conflicts with Indians occurred at and near
this post and the graves of many of its courageous defenders dotted the hillside
near its site. Not one trace of this Fort Phil Sheridan remains today and save
for the records of the War Department, the fact that it ever existed would soon
be forgotten. The turbid currents of the Missouri have long since undermined
and washed away the site and the channel of the big river now flows where
once stood the sturdy fort.
Another historical spot of more recent date was Fort Carroll, which was located
on the south bank of the Missouri about five miles east of Rocky Point and on
the extreme north line of what is now Fergus county. This post was built in
1873 by Matt Carroll and his associates of the old Diamond R outfit, and was
for a time the busy head of navigation of the great river trade. A freight road
was laid out from Helena to Carroll and long bull trains unloaded freight from
the levees at Carroll and hauled it three hundred and fifty miles to the miners
of Last Chance. These bull outfits wound their way across the bad lands of
northern Fergus country into the good grass country, the Judith Basin,
passing Camp Lewis, now known as Lewistown, on out through Judith Gap
and up the Musselshell valley to Martinsdale, following the North Fork of the
Musselshell and crossing the divine of the Castle Mountains to White Sulphur
Springs. and again crossing the divide of the Belts and Diamonds, down
White's Gulch to ford the Missouri river, more than three hundred miles from
where they had first left it, and on into Helena.
At Carroll every type of the westerner of that day might be seen. Bullwhackers
predominated, but there were hunters, trappers, miners, gamblers,
adventurers of every class. Clerks and employees of the company, stranded
roustabouts from the boats, half-breeds, Indians, soldiers, tenderfeet, and

Forgotten towns of Fergus. By Johnny Ritch
FROM THE DEMOCRAT NEWS (July 4, 1957 newspaper reprinted)
Dec. 17, 1912
The history of a country, excepting it be duly recorded, soon passes from the mem¬ory of these who lived there even during its most eventful days. Nearly every section of our good state has a treasure of historical interest if it had been preserved by record, but with the exception of a few isolated instances, a fast part of this romantic story has been permitted to pass into the uncertain statements that come with repeated hearsay. Fergus County has its full share of those, now unremembered sports that in the year’s agone teemed with life and interest, and for the time were the commercial centers of this great region.
Few there are living today who remember, or even have heard, that in the late 1860's a govern¬ment fort existed at the conflu¬ence of the Musselshell and Mis-souri rivers, and that this was the trading place, and the point of refuge when pressed by their savage foes, for the intrepid spirits who found a living in that wild region. Numerous sanguinary conflicts with Indians occurred at and near this post and the graves of many of its courage¬ous defenders dotted the hillside near its site. Not one trace of this Fort Phil Sheridan remains today and save for the rec¬ords of the War Department, the fact that it ever existed would soon be forgotten. The turbid currents of the Missouri have long since undermined and wash¬ed away the site and the channel of the big river now flows where once stood the sturdy fort.
Another historical spot of more recent date was Fort Carroll, which was located on the south bank of the Missouri about five miles east of Rocky Point and on the extreme north line of what is now Fergus county. This post was built in 1873 by Matt Carroll and his associates of the old Diamond R outfit, and was for a time the busy head of navigation of the great river trade. A freight road was laid out from Helena to Carroll and long bull trains unloaded freight from the levees at Carroll and hauled it three hundred and fifty miles to the miners of Last Chance. These bull outfits wound their way across the bad lands of northern Fergus country into the good grass country, the Judith Basin, passing Camp Lewis, now known as Lewistown, on out through Judith Gap and up the Musselshell valley to Martinsdale, following the North Fork of the Musselshell and crossing the divine of the Castle Mountains to White Sulphur Springs. and again crossing the divide of the Belts and Diamonds, down White's Gulch to ford the Missouri river, more than three hundred miles from where they had first left it, and on into Helena.
At Carroll every type of the westerner of that day might be seen. Bullwhackers predominated, but there were hunters, trappers, miners, gamblers, adventurers of every class. Clerks and employees of the company, stranded roustabouts from the boats, half-breeds, Indians, soldiers, tenderfeet, and every other kind of man that might be found within our borders at that day, all were in Carroll. It was a busy place, with the arrival of the big bull outfits from Helena and the loading of freight from the boats to the endless line of wagons that made up the outfits. Every kind of business prospered, too; the saloon and the gambling joints doing more than all of the others combined, for the old-time bullwhacker was not a saving person. Carroll was the supply point for a vast territory as it was the head of navigation it was the same busy place, for the steamboats could come up the river late in the fall and the freight outfits could haul their cargoes as long as the boats could deliver them. But, along about ’75 the obstructions in the river channel had been cleared so that the boats could go up river as far as Benton. Then Carroll died as quickly as it came into existence. The buildings were deserted; the population moved away the Diamond R took its great bull trains to the Benton-Helena road; and the Missouri river, seeing no further use for a Fort Carroll, began to change its channel. The writer passed the site of Carroll about twenty years ago and at that time the last of its buildings were about ready to drop over the bank. Since then the river has com¬pleted its work and now not one vestige of the erstwhile commer¬cial and business center of Fergus county remains.
About the time Carroll was built a big trading post was con¬structed at what is now Lewis¬town. This post was built by Nelson Story, of Bozeman, and was located on the point between Spring and Casino creeks, where the latter flows into Spring creek. All the Crow tribes moved here, for it was announced that the government would exchange the Judith Basin to them for their lands south of Yellowstone. The trade was never made and the Indians returned to their former home. No name was given this post, but for a year it was a lively spot. The Crows and Sioux had a fight in the spring of 1874 just where the Ed Fitzhugh ranch now is, in which three Sioux war¬riors were killed. After the fight the Crows had a big scalp dance and Horse Guard, their chief, made the finest speech of the season telling how it was done. Not a sign of the big stockade remains and not to my know¬ledge is there any record, other than memory, that it was ever, there.
Reedsfort [Reed and Bowles trading post] the abiding place of the cheerful horse thief and the maudlin half-breed, had its beginning in 1878 [1874] at what is now, the county farm, and later [moved] was a point on the Frank Day Ranch on the south side of this city. Probably more of our residents know of Reedsfort than of any of the old places of the coun¬ty, for our own city of Lewistown is the offspring of that unpromising beginning.
Few of our oldest residents can tell of Nelsonville, yet this mush¬room town flourished only thirty-one years ago, and was only fifteen miles from Lewistown. The first gold discovered in the Judith Mountains was found in Virgin Gulch near Gilt Edge. As a result a flourishing tent town soon sprung up on what is now called the Allen ranch, at the mouth of Whiskey Gulch a short way southeast of Gilt Edge, Nelsonville was all tents, but promised to have houses and become a real permanent town until Skookum Joe and Bill Pott and Davy Jones found more gold in Maiden Gulch near the present site of the Spotted Horse mine and that fixed the fate of Nelsonville. Everybody struck his tent and moved over to what is now Maiden. One cannot be blamed for not knowing of Nelsonville, for it didn’t live long enough to become known only to those who lived there. It was born in 1881 and died in the borning.
Rustle is the name of another forgotten town that once nestled in the heart of the most pic¬turesque part of the Judith mountains. Our old friends "Skookum Joe" Bill Pott and Davy Jones went up to the head of Maiden Gulch and began to build a town right after Nelsonville was deserted, but Mai¬den was the more pleasing pros¬pect and the people went there to build. However, as long as the Collar mine was working Rustle had a saloon and several quite substantial buildings for that time and was well known to the residents of the locality while it lasted. Today its houses are empty and no sign of life greets the occasional visitor, unless the presence of numerous chipmunks around the deserted houses could be called signs of life.
One of the contemplated towns that never grew was Steamerville. This townsite was laid out on what is now the Hosea Fisher ranch on Wolf Creek in the year 1882. It anticipated the arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad through that section, and its promoters evidently expected to reap a golden harvest by corralling the place with the best water supply and the best natural advantages for a town. The Northern Pacific got wind of this shrewd move and changed its survey so that its line ran up the Yellowstone river, all of which did much to defeat the plans of the Steamerville syndicate.
Gardenland was the best named of all the forgotten towns, the name has since been changed to Utica, for Gardenland occupied nearly the same location as does the present town of Utica. It came to us in 1879 and the late Jack Murphy, a genuine type of the old frontiersman, was sponsor for it.
A lot of unsentimental New Yorkers wandered into the country, became homesick and changed the name to Utica. But I still maintain that Gardenland was the best. Who has visited the glorious valley of the Judith river near Utica and has not marveled at its gentle scenic beauties? No more entrancing spot is known in the pastoral life of our county; just a thought of that restful, dreamy place is enough to set the heart a thrill, and why it should not have retained its first name, Gardenland, has been to me for many years. Utica signifies nothing, unless it might bring to mind the ancient Roman soldiers in northern Africa, or a right dead town in up-state New York.
Alpine and Andersonville both flourished in the prosperous days of Maiden, and were short lived. However, they had their drinking fountains and offered food and lodging to the wayfarer while they lasted. Alpine was located at the mouth of the gulch of the same name a few miles below maiden on Warm Spring creek, and Andersonville was on the Tom Merryfield ranch further down the same stream. A few old shacks attest the existence of Alpine, but Andersonville has passed to the memories.
Ubet, once famous in the good old stage days as the place where you could get the best meal west of St. Paul, is just a ranch home now. There were days when it was the Mecca of the unfortunate on his long stage journey from Benton to Billings; it was here that he would be fed and housed as becomes human being. Here too, the joyous shepherd and the exuberant stage driver met convivially and fraternized, each yielding with the other as to whom should be the first morning customer and the last evening visitor at the little log thirst parlor, now degraded to the uses of a chicken-house.
Yogo is almost a memory, but the indomitable spirit of the prospector may save it yet. The year 1879 saw the center of population of central Montana at Yogo; now not one person lives in the old town. But the hills around still hold their goodly promise of wealth, men enough to keep interest alive and we make bold to predict that the day is not far distant when Yogo will become a factor in the affairs of Fergus rather than a kindly memory to its older settlers.
Another spot that is fast passing to the legends is old Fort Maginnis. Nothing remains now of that fine old post, save the rock foundations of a few of the buildings and the ranchers are hauling these away as fast as their needs call for them. Fortunately, the War Department will preserve its story, but the site should be by the state before it is lost.
The early history of every section of our state is an eloquent record of adventure and interest. Much of it is being lost and much of it has been forgotten because it was not placed on record. White men were never able to preserve their history save by means of the record; the American Indian preserved his by oral transmission from the elder tribal historians to their younger successors. The story of the beginning here should not be forgotten.

Forgotten towns of Fergus. By Johnny Ritch
FROM THE DEMOCRAT NEWS (July 4, 1957 newspaper reprinted)
Dec. 17, 1912
The history of a country, excepting it be duly recorded, soon passes from the
memory of these who lived there even during its most eventful days. Nearly
every section of our good state has a treasure of historical interest if it had
been preserved by record, but with the exception of a few isolated instances, a
fast part of this romantic story has been permitted to pass into the uncertain
statements that come with repeated hearsay. Fergus County has its full share
of those, now unremembered sports that in the year's agone teemed with life
and interest, and for the time were the commercial centers of this great region.
Few there are living today who remember, or even have heard, that in the late
1860's a government fort existed at the confluence of the Musselshell and Mis­souri
rivers, and that this was the trading place, and the point of refuge when
pressed by their savage foes, for the intrepid spirits who found a living in that
wild region. Numerous sanguinary conflicts with Indians occurred at and near
this post and the graves of many of its courageous defenders dotted the hillside
near its site. Not one trace of this Fort Phil Sheridan remains today and save
for the records of the War Department, the fact that it ever existed would soon
be forgotten. The turbid currents of the Missouri have long since undermined
and washed away the site and the channel of the big river now flows where
once stood the sturdy fort.
Another historical spot of more recent date was Fort Carroll, which was located
on the south bank of the Missouri about five miles east of Rocky Point and on
the extreme north line of what is now Fergus county. This post was built in
1873 by Matt Carroll and his associates of the old Diamond R outfit, and was
for a time the busy head of navigation of the great river trade. A freight road
was laid out from Helena to Carroll and long bull trains unloaded freight from
the levees at Carroll and hauled it three hundred and fifty miles to the miners
of Last Chance. These bull outfits wound their way across the bad lands of
northern Fergus country into the good grass country, the Judith Basin,
passing Camp Lewis, now known as Lewistown, on out through Judith Gap
and up the Musselshell valley to Martinsdale, following the North Fork of the
Musselshell and crossing the divine of the Castle Mountains to White Sulphur
Springs. and again crossing the divide of the Belts and Diamonds, down
White's Gulch to ford the Missouri river, more than three hundred miles from
where they had first left it, and on into Helena.
At Carroll every type of the westerner of that day might be seen. Bullwhackers
predominated, but there were hunters, trappers, miners, gamblers,
adventurers of every class. Clerks and employees of the company, stranded
roustabouts from the boats, half-breeds, Indians, soldiers, tenderfeet, and